Elva and her brother Ernie are
probably the cousins my grandmother and her sister visited around
the turn of the century. Although many of the pieces fit, we have
yet to make a positive match. Perhaps, this house holds the key
to our puzzle. Hopefully, Louise saves pictures, and possibly
letters. We shall see.

Old
German Lutheran Church

As with most things German, this
church was built to last. Try as she may, even Mother Nature is
having a hard time overcoming this building. I will have to check
on this, but I believe that the building has been idle since
1920. What I do know is that Valentine Creutzburg and Henry
Creutzburg are listed, though their name is misspelled, in the
History of Western Maryland, published in 1882, among the
founding members of the congregation. Few people today seem to
know that this congregation ever existed.

I believe that I have located the
church in the 1897 photograph. It is the small dark building to
the right of #6. If that ID is accurate, then Dave & Elva's
house is located along the road marked with the line and the #7.
Obviously, the house was built after the photo was taken.
Actually, the entire area behind the first row of houses on the
street (German Street) are overgrown. Mother nature has reclaimed
much of Caledonia Hill.